****Clary's POV****
Clary clung to Jace the further into the cave they went. The darkness wasn't impossible to see through, yet the chilling cold was bone reaching, causing small tremors to wrack her frame. So Jace kept her close to his furnacing body heat, gold scales dimmed with the lack of light here.
Well, lack of light wasn't exactly the best descriptor.
Small sconces lit in the upper corners of the tunnel. Family crests were emblazoned under several. She didn't recognize any of them aside from the ones Jace had shone her earlier. The torch for the Lightwoods, the heron for the Herondales, the fairy for the Fairchilds, the horseshoe for the Waylands, and so on. She tried asking why the dragons had crests in the first place —it seemed like something only humans were interested in— but he didn't give a sufficient response other than 'dragons mingling with their human counterparts'.
"How much longer? My feet are getting sore." It was a real good thing she wore her boots to the valley. Any of her flats would have been ruined with all the mud, grass and grit of the terrain they had been in recently. The feeling of his tail tapping her back in reassurance elicited a tired sigh from her.
"Not much longer. I promise. You can ride on my back the rest of the way if you'd like."
"Nah, I'm fine."
All the gemstones from earlier had vanished like the warm temperature at the mouth of the cave. She willed herself to keep going. The stubborn part of her was all that kept her from accepting his offer. The ground crunched under her boots, pebbles scratching against each other. Her bare feet were lucky to be protected, otherwise they'd be screaming in agony from the rough stones. Jace seemed oblivious to the sharpness, his scales likely protecting him from the human vulnerabilities she held within.
But then there was this other feeling stemming inside of her.
It settled close in her chest, making the world seem too small for her body. A flicker of heat here and there as they passed the sconces. One in particular garnered this reaction the most, her green eyes drawn to the pattern of a fairy. So intricately drawn . . . a work of art if there ever was one. The best art pieces back home were in Malcolm's gallery. She would have to remember to tell Jace about it if the chance ever came. If things were different then maybe they would stand a chance of being together. But as things were now a relationship of secrecy was all they'd likely have.
"Now be ready. We're about to take a steep drop." Jace warned.
"Okay. When are we— agh!"
The ground fell away with her next step, sending her plummeting to the abyss below.
****Alec's POV****
The world was nothing but darkness.
Alec opened his eyes, surprised by the lack of light. There was something going on here. Not quite right but not quite wrong. The stripes along his chest lit up to give off some clarity. Unfortunately, the blue beams did nothing to reveal his surroundings, giving him the impression there were none to begin with.
"Where am I?" He asked to seemingly no one in particular.
"Alec! Alexander!"
"Huh?" He swung his head around, searching for the owner of that voice.
A pinprick of light shined in his vision. He squinted at the sudden burst, a strike of pain in his skull as he adjusted to the sudden change. The vision before him hardly made any sense at all. But yet it was there . . . And he could hardly believe it.
"No way."
The figure approached him, the shape shifting in and out of the light spectrum before finally growing in size. It was massive, hundreds of thousands of millions of years allowing what stood before him to hold such power and grace. He had only heard of legends about this dragon. How it had visited his ancestors in days of old. The creator of the name Lightwood.
"Omni."
Not knowing what else to do, Alec bowed to the ground. His wings folded neatly on his back, tail draped on the ground limply. Omnipotent blinked their all-seeing eyes, a flash of purple winking prominently in them before returning to an endless prism.
"Rise young dragonet."
He did so eagerly. Omni only came to visit dragons of the living world on important occasions. Or so he had been told by his father. Maryse had never been as enthused about the ancient deity, saying that dragons needed to rely on themselves to survive and not the will of a being they hardly understood. He understood both sides of it . . . and yet there was something about seeing Omni now that left him ecstatic. Perhaps it was because some of the greatest dragons in their known history had met Omni, had heeded their words of judgement and truth. In any case he would be attentive now.
"I-I've heard so much about you." Like how Omni could shapeshift into anything and anyone. It was likely that reason as to why the shape took so long to settle in his mind, nothing else to ponder.
"I'm sure."
"Is there something you need me to do? Whatever it is, I'll do it."
And there was that purple light again. It snickered over the bridge of Omnipotent's nose gliding right up to his eyes as he smiled. How strange was it to have a smile send chills down his spine. He hadn't expected this feeling, figuring it was just nerves which had his heart pounding in trepidation.
"Good. That's just what I wanted to hear."
****Jace's POV****
He made sure to catch Clary before she could fall more than a few feet in the drop. His golden wings assured their safe landing, wind rustling as he landed neatly on the stony ground. Beautiful blue colors danced on the stones beneath his feet. Magic was heavy in the air, easy to sense if you had any power inside. So it pleased him greatly when Clary let out a little gasp of her own, sensing it too.
"What is this place? Why does it make me feel so strange?" She asked.
He set her down gently, mindful of how fragile her human figure could be. Her red hair curtained her face, messy from the sudden change in altitude as they plummeted moments before. He raised a curved claw, brushing a strand back tenderly. Clary leaned into his touch, swaying only slightly. When Jace pulled back he let his shoulders raise. Seriousness blanketed his features. The ground here pulsates with energy, vibrations running through to transition from ground to bare skin to the skeleton beyond. And while not all beings believed in souls Jace knew this energy reached even to the metaphysical plane. He shivered as it touched him, Clary practically shaking without really knowing why. The shivers were rattling her small body, like she had the chills. The cave was rather warm, humidity crawling around the edges.
How much stronger was the sensation for her?
He didn't know.
"This is the Cave of Truth, where all secrets are brought to light."
"Wow. That sounds . . ."
"Pretty cool right?" Jace smiled.
"Pretty scary. How does it . . . How does it reveal them?" Clary asked nervously.
He frowned. "It's nothing bad, I promise."
"I-I guess I'll take your word for it." She told him.
He nodded. "Thank you for trusting me. As for how it works, look right there."
Leafy green eyes followed his outstretched wingtip. Light flooded the far side of the cave. Stalagmites absorbed the light, glowing mysterious hues of blue, green and purple. The water here glittered with light just like the sconces of Adamas. Jace had been here a few times before with Alec years ago; the sight never got old.
"A pool?" She questioned, turning to look up at him.
Jace shook his head. "That would be an understatement. This is actually a pond. It's an extension of the lake we have above water: Lake Lynn. This pond is called the Pond of Revealing. And if you're willing, I'd like to show you how it works."
"O-okay. Show me." She answered.
Gingerly, Jace stepped back from her, letting himself shrink back down into human form. The temperature became near frigid with his smaller form, making it all the more imperative to him that he did this now. Letting her endure the pain would only bring both of them sorrow. And he wasn't going to let that happen. Not to her. Never to her. Clary watched him with wide eyes as he strode over to the pond. Stopping right at the water's edge, he turned back to look at her. His bare feet felt the freezing stones, beginning to become numb. It was almost as though an iciness was traveling up his limbs and to his heart. The cave could sense it. What he was hiding. The words that fell of his tongue did so without cause or care, as definite as time itself.
"What has been hidden will be revealed."
The second his foot touched the water everything was lit with a drastic glow of blinding light. He shut his eyes as, against any sense of will he could have had, his body changed back into its original form.
"Oh my gosh!"
Clary seemed to understand what had just happened without explanation. Which was a good thing. He hardly knew how to begin explaining the magical power embedded inside this cave. Alec or Robert or Maryse or Izzy could but I'm not them. He knew feeling however, and all his feelings had led him to bring Clary here.
"This cave will not let there be any secrets hidden. Anyone who enters here will answer their truth." Jace told her simply.
"Their truth? I don't think I have anything to be revealed." Clary murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jace sighed. He figured she didn't know, but being confronted with this reality was still unpleasant. The process would be easier if she was willing to do this. And every moment with a secret tucked inside her was another moment of lying and hiding. It would only hurt her in the end. Especially if they were really in danger with Valentine on the loose. He wanted her to be safe, needed her to be safe.
"Surely you can sense it Clary. Think of all the things you've been able to do since coming here that none of your human friends could." He urged her.
Clary frowned. "My human friends." Her echoed words bounced off the cave walls, their acoustics becoming distorted with the rippling water. In the pond the warmth cascaded over his clawed hands. There were no lies inside him. Here it was impossible to keep things secret. "Why'd you say it like that?"
Jace tilted his head thoughtfully. "I think you already know. Deep down."
Though you might not want to admit it.
Clary said nothing for a moment, lips pursed. And then, "So I just step into the water?"
"Yep." He popped the p.
She carefully took off her shoes, pulling her hair up and back. He held back a wince at the sight of her blue toes. They really needed to get this over with, the sooner the better before the frostbite became permanent. Jace gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile as she gingerly set one toe in the water before the rest of her foot followed suit. Clary waded out to him carefully, mindful of all the stones lining the bottom. The warm water rid some of the tension from her face. It was only after a small sigh of relief left her that her body began to glow.
And change.
****Magnus's POV****
"I want you to stay with me. Not that I don't mind you in your dragon form but . . ."
He had known the second those words left his lips they were wrong.
Had known them, but hadn't the slightest clue what to say to make it all better, to fix what he hurt. The monumental hurt in Alec's eyes pierced through his soul, almost making it impossible to breathe. The polite tone Alec had managed would've been impressive if Magnus didn't have the sinking feeling the other was close to tears.
What was I thinking? What was I thinking?
And indeed, none of this would've happened if he had been thinking, if he had been willing to look past the years of hate brainwashed into him by his Father, the flashbacks of his morher's corpse bleeding out into the ground. And it wasn't as though saving face would make sense here either. At the very start of his career, Magnus remembered how they curled up together, sharing warmth so they'd survive. There was so much despair to be had in the moments of loneliness, and he didn't want to be alone anymore.
But he sure felt it as he closed his eyes that night.
Though with the start of a brand new day came new possibilities.
Sun filtered in through the opening above them. The flowers surrounding him were in bloom, and Alec . . . was already awake. Back in his natural form, the dragon prince was moving around with ease. Blue eyes skated around the room before landing on him.
"You're awake."
He nodded, unsure what to say. "Yeah. I am."
"Good. That's-that's great."
"I-I'm sorry about last night." Magnus began, only to be cut off.
Alec waved off the apologetic answer with a tight lipped smile. "Don't mention it. It's in the past." His dark tail swished behind him as he turned to face towards the exit, hiding his face from Magnus's view. So the Hunter was left with the image of those watery blue eyes from last night. So much pain there. His heart wrenched painfully.
"But I should mention it. Because I am—"
"Sorry?"
"Yeah." Magnus swallowed past the lump in his throat.
"I know."
"I really am." Magnus continued. There was an inkling in his gut, a call for more. But what else could he say except he was sorry?
"Magnus. I don't expect for everything to be perfect overnight, I don't expect for all the prejudice your father taught you to just go away. However, I do expect you to try your best. To keep an open mind. Can you do that?" Alec was turning to face him again. The stripes on his chest were glowing dimly.
"Yeah. I-I can."
"Good. Now, there's something I need to tell you . . ."
*******
A/N: Hi! School has been keeping me pretty busy lately so sorry if this is late! Until next time.